FSA News Item, 29 April 2009

LEGISLATION - Revised Food Safety Act guide published

A copy of the revised guidance is available on this site (pdf file). See: The Food Safety Act 1990: a Guide for Food Businesses

The Agency has published revised guidance for food businesses on the Food Safety Act 1990. The guidance is applicable to all types of food business in England, Scotland and Wales.

The guidance, which replaces the former guide ‘The Food Safety Act 1990 and You', can be found at the link below. It has been updated to take account of amendments to the Act in the General Food Regulations 2004 and the Food Safety Act 1990 (Amendment) Regulations 2004.

What is the Food Safety Act 1990?The Food Safety Act 1990 (as amended) provides the framework for all food legislation in Britain – similar legislation applies in Northern Ireland.

The main responsibilities for all food businesses under the Act are:

• to ensure you do not include anything in food, remove anything from food or treat food in any way which means it would be damaging to the health of people eating it
• to ensure that the food you serve or sell is of the nature, substance or quality which consumers would expect
• to ensure that the food is labelled, advertised and presented in a way that is not false or misleading